The Arriving Entrepreneur

May 19th, 2013 by Shane Yerkes

There are many ways an entrepreneur can gauge his or her success… The most obvious of course is monetarily. That’s what many entrepreneurs measure against at least. And if not the entrepreneurs themselves then certainly their peers. But that’s the easy way out. You started a business and made a bunch of money? GREAT! But does money make a successful entrepreneur? I have my doubts.

There’s an age old expression credited to Confucius; “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I believe some credence should be given to this colloquialism when taking into account the success of an entrepreneur as well. Because of course, if you love going to work, well that’s just one less thing to worry about! And if you’re good at what you do and the market supports it, the money will come regardless…

Though I question if even loving what you do is enough to measure success when determining whether or not you’ve arrived as an entrepreneur. In fact, what I think determines that success is vision. And sure, lots of people have a vision! But it’s the ones who are willing to see it through who change the world…

With every effort in life, whether it be in business, physical achievement, or even reaching personal goals, there has always got to be a starting point. And without question the most difficult thing to do with any end game in mind is simply taking the first step. Though another expression I’ve always been pretty fond of is, “You can’t steal second base with your foot on first…” There is no greater truth than that. Success in anything is only gotten through risk, but if you want it bad enough then the risk is worth while. And so you take your first step…

CIP Reporting’s President and CEO, Jason Riffel, is one of those who not only has a vision, but the intestinal fortitude required to see it through. And more than that, Jason recognizes the only way to achieve this vision is through sharing that vision with like-minded people who will peer down the road to see what he sees while working tirelessly to support his efforts along the way.

While it’s to soon to say CIP Reporting is a “successful” business venture (again, this depends on your definition of success), it is certainly a thriving business driving toward a glowing horizon. Our customers stand behind us as we support them, and the product is improving almost daily while the demand in the industries we service is growing exponentially. Though what’s more interesting to me is people’s recognition of those efforts and the admiration and respect they earn.

Recently Jason was asked to be a guest speaker at a local Fairfax County High School for a discussion in entrepreneurship. The audience? Thirty or so highly curious students who share Jason’s passion and more importantly, the concept of having a vision and seeing it through… Only thirty students you say? The rest of the Seniors at Fairfax High School, roughly 500 other kids, were in the auditorium to catch a glimpse of a Washington Redskins back-up Quarterback, Kirk Cousins.

While I’ll not take anything away from Kirk Cousin’s amazing achievement of reaching the NFL, even as a back-up, those kids were more interested in simply seeing a local celebrity than learning the path to success in going into business for yourself. Though I suppose it’s fitting that roughly 7% of Fairfax High School’s 2013 graduating class would participate in a conversation about business vs. celebrating a celebrity. Because if entrepreneurship were easy, everyone would do it…

Jason Riffel is an Arriving Entrepreneur, and with a lot of hard work, a little luck, and the right people behind him, CIP Reporting will no doubt one day claim its ultimate success. And maybe, just maybe, some of those high school kids took away enough to chase their dreams, too. Because another expression that’s always given me a bit of a chuckle is, “Be nice to nerds, you’ll work for one someday.” A tongue in cheek reality for those who have a vision, and those who don’t… And so I’m always nice to Jason Riffel… (tongue in cheek, of course.)

Shane is a creative, entrepreneurial-minded sales executive with a focus on start-up and growth based software companies. With a consistent track record of exceeding revenue targets, He attributes his success to a very simple business philosophy; Solve real business problems through the solution, never sell for what's not there. Google+

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